If I Could Do It Again
by pianogrl16
Summary: What guy wouldn’t want Gabriella? Beautiful, brilliant, and incomparable to any other girl at East High, she could have another guy at the twiddle of her thumb. If he could do it all over, he would be that guy, but he couldn’t because he knew she was too


If He Could Do It Again

She was wearing a light pink sweater on Monday. He noticed that as she walked gracefully down the hallways. Every day, his eyes would her every move until she disappeared. Her hair was always the same, bouncy dark brown curls which accentuated her angelic face. Every morning, he would regretfully wake up until he reminded himself he was going to see _her. _The beautiful scholar who had captured his heart the moment she sang. Ever since then, he had dreamed that one day he would be able to relive that day differently and kiss her when the clock stroke midnight. Maybe if he had kissed her that night, things could have been different. If he could do it all over again, Chad would have not interrupted them when he pulled her in at the basketball championships, then maybe he would be holding her in his arms right now.

She smiled at him on Tuesday. She smiled with her pearly white teeth and her gorgeous dimples and held onto him like there was no other tomorrow. Every time she did that, he would go ballistic and hit himself on the head several times until there was no other tomorrow, just to shake the image of them together out of his brain. He didn't blame James for wanting Gabriella. What guy wouldn't want Gabriella? Beautiful, brilliant, and incomparable to any other girl at East High, she could have another guy at the twiddle of her thumb. If he could do it all over, he would be that guy, but he couldn't because he knew she was too amazed to even think about anyone else.

She kissed him on Wednesday. In front of everybody. They had a good 3 months as a couple and he noticed she was finally getting used to the idea of displaying couple affection in front of everybody. As if holding hands were not enough for him to look at. He kissed her back, hard and ran a hand through her shiny long, brown curls and then hugged her and she squeezed him back. If he could do it again, he would be the guy that changed her mind.

She was crying on Thursday. She had showed up on his doorstep, in the pouring rain, her usually vibrant curls, wet and soggy, around her wet, teary face and red eyes. Her expression was one of the same timid and shy girl that he had met back at the ski lodge, but even with her falling tears, sagging curls, and swollen eyes, he realized he could never be more in love with her until now.

_He had opened the door after numerous doorbell rings, and his annoyed expression turned into a shocked one the minute he saw her. Wet and teary, her baggy sweatshirt and jeans were soggy, and her eyes were swollen and red. Mascara poured down her face as she gazed back wordless. "Troy," she finally whispered. "James..." She fell down in front of him, her head thrown back as she screamed into the endless dark. He gulped as he picked her up and carried her from the doorstep to the couch. He closed the door, felt her forehead, and walked out for blankets and a thermometer. _

_The moment he got back, he saw her shivering and still crying, as he gently laid the blanket on her delicate body. He put his hand through her curls as he put the thermometer in her mouth and her temperature was one of a fever. He pulled out some medicine and prepared tea. _

"_James broke up with me," she finally declared as she sipped the tea. She was drying up, her eyes were better, and she looked peaceful near the fireplace. "Or rather, I broke up with him, I saw him cheating on me with that slut from the girls' soccer team. Kelly, the "perfect girl." He said we were better as friends anyway."_

"I can't believe it," Troy spoke up as he noticed that a strand of hair fell on her face. He felt the urge to put it back where it belongs until he laid back on the pillows. "He's an idiot Gabriella." No one is more perfect than you, he thought. "I got my first B ever for him. I was so focused that I was going to tell him I loved him soon. With that, Troy's heart broke. "Gabriella." Troy leaned forward and touched the side of her face. "There are plenty of other guys out there to love; James is just one, one that you frankly don't need." "But none like James," Gabriella wistfully whispered. "He made me feel beautiful, and that's a feeling I'm scared I won't find with any other guy." She shook her head as she took another sip of her tea. 

_If he could do it all over again, he would be the guy to make her feel beautiful. _

She apologized on Friday. She had come right near his locker and professed her apologies and regrets for what had occurred the past few months. That they were growing apart, and that their friendship was more important to her than any fling with James, she professed her want of getting together sometime this weekend to "catch up", they were best friends, she was reminded last night.

He had agreed to meet her on Saturday afternoon for a movie and he was satisfied until he saw the mental exercise their English teacher had given him that morning.

_If you could do one thing over again, what would it be? _

Troy knew what he had to do.

_That night, he almost screamed as he fought his way up the tree towards her balcony. He breathed a sigh of relief as he finally climbed onto her balcony and knocked on the French door softly. There, she was, combing her hair in her sweat pants as she was multi tasking reading a book, as well. He repeated the action again and she turned her head, scared, until she saw him. Saw his beautiful gaze on her, and she smiled, opening the door. "Troy…. I thought we were meeting tomorrow." _

"_We were."_

_She took the notion of walking out of the balcony and twirled in the light breeze, smiling at him. "What's up?" _

_Troy immediately spoke up. _

"_If you could do one thing over again, what would it be?"_

_Gabriella blinked several times at the random question until she raised her eyebrows curiously. _

"_Okay, I will play along. Our friendship, I missed you Troy, and I couldn't emphasize it enough. I'm sorry about James and growing apart and not taking the notion of calling you. I'm responsible for our lost friendship. You mean so much to me and I want you to know that II value you as a friend more than anyone else, well, and maybe Taylor would be an exception, but still." _

"_See, that's it." Troy rubbed his forehead. _

"_Do you want to know mine?" Gabriella nodded, confused at how he was acting tonight. Troy was usually so laidback and friendly, and tonight, he was fidgety, nervous, and uptight. _

"_If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't be your best friend right now, I would have kissed you on New Year's Eve, and I would have told you how much you mean to me at our championships and done it again. I would have been the one to hold you at school, to make you feel beautiful, and if I would have done it, then maybe I would have been able to do this." He grabbed her by the shoulders, held her head, and kissed her gently, holding the side of her face as she replied back in shock until she gave in and kissed him back, that was, until she let go and stepped away. _

"_Troy, I can't." Tears appeared at the side of her eyes. _

"_Believe me, I wish I could. But I can't. I can't risk what I have with you already. You mean so much to me as a friend. And I've been thinking this as I was about to go to bed, I'm 18 years old and almost a graduate and if I get myself into a relationship right now like with James, then that means that my priorities won't be set straight and I have my whole life ahead of me to make decisions. I don't want to commit and I especially don't want to strain anything with a boy, especially you. I'm sorry." _

_She walked back in, leaving him blankly staring back. _

_If he could do anything over again, it would to never have shown up here, for maybe he could have saved himself from an unnecessary heartbreak. _

She had stayed in crying on Saturday. He had stayed in throwing horrible free throws and ignoring his father. He had made a terrible mistake; he should have never become her friend, never sang with her in front of everybody, never met her, never auditioned with her, and never loved her. He would find someone else, he was sure of it; he would live the rest of his senior year to his parents' expectations and earn a basketball scholarship. It was what he was meant to do.

She had touched his face delicately in a picture frame. She had made a terrible mistake. She was afraid; she was scarred from her relationship. What kind of person would walk away from perfection like Troy, for she was in love with him, she was in love with him, the moment she started to sing with him. And as she finally put the frame down and looked at the spot where he had sang to her after a huge misunderstanding, she knew what she had to do.

She was standing outside his doorstep, again. With jeans, a T-shirt, and flats on, she looked the same as every other day except that her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail. She wore no make-up and she twiddled her thumbs as she watched him open the door in surprise. "Gabriella, what do you want?" He stood inside, watching her intently. "Troy, can you come out here for a second." He stepped out reluctantly, he could never say no to her. She held out her hand and he reluctantly grabbed it too and both stepped out into the moonlight. "You know, I promised myself that what I had with James was love. We were in love and he and I were meant to be because after 2 days I was head over heels but these past few days have given me a chance to realize something, Troy. I did not love James; I had a crush on him. And you know why? Because whatever I had with him, it does not even match up to what I feel for you." She looked at him back with his surprised expression but hopeful eyes.

"Troy, you asked me what I would change if I had the opportunity, and that would be that I would have told you how I felt a long time ago. I love you, I always have loved you, and I am so sorry about James. I don't think I could ever love a human being as much as I have grown too with you. And if I could do it all over again, you would have known that sooner."

He didn't respond within a few seconds until he grabbed her and kissed her forcefully, touching her face and then kissing her cheek. "I love you too, Gabriella. I missed you." "I missed you too," she said under his embrace.

She winked at him on Monday. He walked up to her and she smiled and leaned in for a kiss, leaving them breathless. The rest of the school population gasped and glared in shock at the new couple and both held hands ignoring the stares from James and Kelly. As they walked down, he pulled her in again for another embrace as he kissed her hair and put his hand through her curls, her hand touching his dirty blond locks. He loved the feeling, he knew this was right, for he never felt that someone could be this fitting in his arms like she had, and as he thought about it right now, there was nowhere else and nothing else that he wished that he could do over or change, because right here, right now, and possibly for the rest of their lives, everything could finally be perfect.


End file.
